The Captain and the Hunter
by Foryewhoartliterate
Summary: Captain Scarlett's luck has taken a turn for the worst, the Treasure of the Sands has been robbed from her, her crew has abandoned her, and she's in the middle of sandworm territory. But perhaps not all is lost. After all that Hammerlock fellow that just helped her out seems like a decent guy. Maybe her situation isn't as bad as she thought after all.
1. Chapter 1

Heyo!

Alright, this is the first chapter of the fic. This is my first chapter story so please bear with me. Updates will be more or less sporadic but I'll try to get in at least one a week.

Feel free to review or make suggestions as to how it could be better.

I don't own Borderlands.

Enjoy!

The Captain and the Hunter

"Bunch of damned pirates." Captain Scarlett mumbled to herself as she walked across the sands of Pandora.

It had been a few weeks since her defeat at the hands of the Vault Hunters and things couldn't be worse. She had attempted to raise another crew to steal the Treasure of the Sands back from the Vault Hunters but they had outright betrayed her (oh how she hated irony). And now she wandered aimlessly through the sands hoping to find a town or a Catch-A-Ride or anything that might prevent her from dying a horrible death at the teeth sandworms or worse, dehydration.

As she walked alone, cursing Vault Hunters, pirates, and the intense heat, she saw a small glimmer of hope. Out in the distance there appeared a sandskiff. It was pretty far off, but it might be her only shot. So Scarlett began to shout, wave her arms in distress, and fired several pistol rounds into the air in the hope that the skiff just might see her (and that it wasn't full of bandits, but that would be a whole different problem).

Evidently the skiff heard her gunshots or saw her out in the distance, because it began heading for her.

"Now let's just hope it's not full of raiders." She said to herself.

The skiff stopped a few feet away from her and a man jumped out and gave a sort of salute.

"Greetings ma'am. I am Sir Hammerlock, at your service."

"Captain Scarlett." She said introducing herself.

Sir Hammerlock took a few steps closer to Scarlett.

"I heard your distress signal, what seems to be the problem?"

"I was abandoned out in the desert. I was hoping to flag down a skiff and get a ride to the nearest settlement."

"Well, in that case you are quite lucky. I would be more than happy to give you a ride to the nearest settlement Captain Scarlett."

He gave her a hand getting on board the skiff and then climbed aboard, and then began the long journey toward Oasis.

"So Captain Scarlett. Might I ask how exactly you found yourself out in the middle of the desert trying to flag down passing sandskiffs?"

"You see. I had recently lost two of my lieutenants and I hired replacements. But a few days later they decided to betray me and led a mutiny. They took my ship and left me to die in the middle of the dessert."

"Well, that seems a bit harsh."

"And what exactly brings you out to the sands Sir Hammerlock? I've never seen you around here before."

"Ah. You see I came out here on a hunting expedition. Good fun slaughtering the creatures of Pandora. Good fun indeed!"

"Is that how you managed to lose your arm?" Scarlett inquired. "Slaughtering the creatures of Pandora?"

"Yes actually. It was this giant thresher name Old Slappy. He bit my arm clean off!" he said enthusiastically.

"How did you lose the rest of your left side then?"

"I lost the leg to a bandit named Ralph Destroyer of Souls, and the eye in a dart playing accident. Which is also why I can never go back to Eden-5 again... And how about yourself Miss Scarlett?"

"I lost the leg to a giant sandworm, the eye to grenade shrapnel, and the hand in a tragic accident involving a coconut and two swallows."

"Panorian or Aegrean swallows?"

"Pardon?."

Sir Hammerlock chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Captain Scarlett asked.

"Oh nothing." He said. "It's just an old joke I know regarding swallows and a coconut. I was reminded of it."

(Author's Note: I strongly apologize for the Monty Python reference.)

For the next several hours the two traveled across the sands. They talked some more and got to know each other rather well (considering they had been complete strangers just that morning). After several hours Sir Hammerlock pulled the skiff up toward a small cave entrance and turned the engine off.

"What's going on?" Captain Scarlett asked.

"It's getting dark and I thought that perhaps we should stop for the night. It's still several days' travel to Oasis you know."

"Fair enough." Captain Scarlett said dismounting the skiff. "I suppose you want help setting up camp?"

"No, no. I've got it." Hammerlock said walking into the cave. "It's only a simple matter of digistructing my supplies and setting up a camp fire."

Sure enough a few moments later Hammerlock had set up an entire camp and was attempting to light a campfire.

"Damned lighter." He cursed. "I don't suppose you've a lighter somewhere do you?" He asked, standing up.

"No. But I have got this." Scarlett said pulling out an incendiary pistol.

She pointed it at the wood pile and fired.

"There you go." She said.

"Well I suppose that's a good way to do it."

The next few hours or so were spent talking some more, nothing really of importance just stories of Sir Hammerlock's hunting feats and Captain Scarlett's tales of piracy. They talked long into the night, only once interrupted by a lone sandworm that decided to attack them. But that had been quickly killed in a hail of combined gunfire.

"Well I suppose it's time to turn in for the night. It is getting rather late." Sir Hammerlock said.

"It can't be that late it's only..." Captain Scarlett checked her pocket watch. "Oh dear is it really 2 AM?"

"Afraid so. We ought to get some sleep if we're to get moving at a reasonable hour tomorrow."

"Right. I suppose you'd like me to take first watch?"

"Oh heavens no. I wouldn't dream of it. You are my guest. Sort of. Anyway it's unnecessary for either of us to take watch anyway. My cybernetic eye doesn't turn off, it would alert me if anything tried to approach us while we were asleep."

"That's a neat trick. All mine does is see things."

"Yes I suppose it is rather neat. Well good night anyway."

"Goodnight."

"Quite an amazing woman", Sir Hammerlock thought to himself as he drifted into sleep.

"The perfect gentleman." Captain Scarlett thoughts echoed.


	2. Chapter 2

Heyo!

For the record all updates to this story will be on Tuesday.

Review if you like it or have comments/criticism.

I don't own Borderlands.

Enjoy!

The Captain and the Hunter Ch. II

Captain Scarlett was woken up by the sounds of gunfire. She bolted upright, fumbled around for her gun, and scanned the area for the source of the shots. See didn't have to look very far. A few feet away from her was Sir Hammerlock, gun still smoking, staring out into the endless expanse that was the sands.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"Hmm?" Sir Hammerlock turned to look at her. "Oh dear, did I wake you up? I'm terribly sorry about that. I saw a stalker eying the camp and I thought I should get rid of it."

"Oh."

There was a silence as both of them tried to think of something to say.

"So..." Captain Scarlett finally broke the silence. "Shall we get moving?"

"Yes. I suppose we should. I'll just need to pack up the camp."

The next few minutes were spent doing just that. As soon as the supplies had been digistructed and the coals left from last nights fire put out the two climbed aboard the sandskiff and continued their journey toward Oasis.

"So." Scarlett said a few minutes into the trip. "Where do you plan on going once we reach Oasis?"

"Well I suppose I'll head back to Sanctuary or perhaps to Aegrius for another hunting expedition. I'm really not sure at the moment. And what about you Captain?"

Captain Scarlett looked down at the floor of the skiff and sighed.

"I don't know. Everything I had is gone now. My crew stole my ship, Captain Blade's Treasure has already been looted, and everything I worked for is gone now. All I've got left is my skills and a hat."

She sighed again.

"I really don't have anything left. I'm broke and I've got nowhere to go."

The skiff drifted to a halt.

"Why are we stopping?" She inquired.

Sir Hammerlock walked up next to her and patted her shoulder.

"There there." He said. "I'm sure you've got someone you can turn to."

"But I don't have anyone to turn to. I've betrayed or been betrayed by every friend and crew member I've ever had. I have no one left."

"Well then. In that case why don't you join me?"

"What?" Captain Scarlett looked up at Sir Hammerlock.

"I said why don't you join me? From the sound of it you have nowhere else to go, and besides do you have any idea how lonely it gets on hunting expeditions? I would very much enjoy the company of someone such as yourself!"

"But I'm almost a complete stranger to you. How do you know I wouldn't betray you? Or kill you?"

"You didn't kill me and steal my skiff last night, although I'm sure you easily could have if you had wanted, and to be quite frank about it that's good enough for me. And besides," he added. "When I say it gets lonely on those hunting expeditions I mean it. The last time I went on one I didn't seen another human for seven months. I started talking to a skag for the Angels sake."

Captain Scarlett smiled.

"I would be happy to join you. If for no other reason than to keep you sane for the foreseeable future."

"Excellent!" he exclaimed.

Sir Hammerlock walked back to the driver's seat, started the skif up again and sped off over the sands. Nothing meaningful happened for the next few miles, just idle conversation. But then something a bit more interesting happened.

"I say." Sir Hammerlock spoke up. "Is that a ship over there?"

Captain Scarlett looked in the same direction as Sir Hammerlock.

"That's my ship!" She exclaimed. "And the bastard crew that betrayed me!"

"Shall we go liberate it from them?"

"Are you crazy?"

"Perhaps."

Captain Scarlett weighed her options for a moment.

"If you want to help me take back my ship then I'm game."

"Right oh!" Sir Hammerlock exclaimed.

The skiff made a hard left and headed for the ship.

"So what's the plan?" Sir Hammerlock asked.

"We board the ship, we kill everyone aboard, and then we sail for Oasis."

"I don't see how this could possibly go wrong."

"Hey, you're the one that suggested we take back my ship. From murderous bloodthirsty sand pirates."

"Fair enough."

The two approached the ship as stealthily as possible and managed not to draw any attention from the crew.

"How do we get up?" Sir Hammerlock whispered.

"There's a ladder on the back of the starboard side."

"Right oh." Sir Hammerlock started to pilot the skiff around the ship.

"Other side. Starboard is right."

"I knew that."

He corrected his course and brought the skiff to just underneath the ladder.

"Right. Well ladies first." He said gesturing to the ladder.

Scarlett grabbed hold of the ladder and began to climb, followed closely by Sir Hammerlock. Scarlett reached the deck and turned around to give Sir Hammerlock a hand in boarding the ship.

"Right." She said turning around "Now we've just got to-" Scarlett stopped as she found a rather large shotgun inches from her face.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Captain."

"Hello there Terry." She said nervously. "How are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Heyo!

It's Tuesday and that means it's update time. What misadventures have befallen our beloved Gentleman Hunter and Pirate Queen let's find out.

I don't own Borderlands.

Enjoy!

**Chapter III**

"Hello there Terry. How are you?" Captain Scarlett asked nervously.

If there was one thing worse than being caught trying to retake your ship from your mutinous crew, it was being caught trying to retake your ship from your mutinous crew by the sailor that hated you more than all of the others combined. To be fair though he had tried to desert her crew. So she wasn't completely in the wrong when she tortured him. Or when she tried to kill him after he attempted to take revenge and run away again.

"H-how have you been?" Captain Scarlett stuttered.

"You mean since you tried to kill me you bitch?"

"Well in all fairness you did try to kill me first..."

And at that moment Captain Scarlett's face met the back of Terry's shotgun and she blacked out.

Captain Scarlett awoke in a very dark room, her head throbbing from where she got hit with Terry's shotgun. She tried to bring a hand to her face to check if she was bleeding only to realize she couldn't move her arms from behind her. She tried to move again and found that her hands were chained together.

She let out a groan.

"Damn it! I'm in the brig aren't I?"

"Yes we are."

"Hammerlock is that you?" Scarlett asked searching for the source of the voice.

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"You got knocked out, I promptly surrendered, they threw us below deck and you've been unconscious until just now."

"Damn it all! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag you into this. Now we're both stuck here and they'll probably execute us both. I'm so sorry for bringing you into this."

"Scarlett."

"Yes?"

"I unlocked your cuffs while you were talking."

"Huh?" Scarlett moved her arms which were now both free. "Well that was fast. Where did you learn that trick?"

"Prospecting in the southern colonies of Athenas."

"Neat, you'll have to teach me sometime."

"Of course. But I suggest we both get out of here while they still think we're chained and we have the element of surprise."

"Well said. Let's go."

Hammerlock quickly picked the lock on the door cell door. The two stealthily made their way out of the brig and into the ship's lower decks. Scarlett guided Hammerlock to the back of the ship where they could steal a sandskiff and be off before anyone noticed.

Just as they were rounding a corner Scarlett put out an arm to stop Hammerlock from moving. She pointed to a lone crewman guarding the sandskiffs.

"What are we going to do about him?" She whispered.

"I've got this one." Hammerlock said, moving up behind the guard.

He stood up raised his arm and hit the guard with a sort of judo chop in the back of the neck.

The guard, however, did not drop to the ground as had been expected. Instead he turned around and looked Hammerlock dead in the eye.

"Can I help you?"

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"You see, you were supposed to fall unconscious and I was then going to steal and sandskiff and escape."

"That all?"

"I was perhaps going to loot your body as well."

"Anything else?"

"I was distracting you while Captain Scarlett got behind you."

The guard turned around and sure enough, there was Captain Scarlett pointing a gun at his face. The guard threw his hands up in surrender. Scarlett grabbed a hold of him and tossed him of the back of the ship onto the sand flats below. He proceeded to scream the whole way down.

"That made quite a bit of noise didn't it?"

"Yeah, didn't think about that."

More guards were heard running down the stairs to where they were.

"Run?" Hammerlock asked.

"Let's."

Hammerlock quickly digistructed a sandskiff and hopped in the driver's seat while Scarlett jumped into the gunners seat.

The crew appeared at the back of the ship and watched as the sandskiff sailed away. Several crew members shot at the skiff as it escaped.

Hammerlock made himself as small as possible and tried to weave and dodge his way between gunfire, but Scarlett stood up on the skiff and shouted at the crew as they made their escape.

"You will all remember this as the day that you almost captured Captain Scarl- Sonofabitch!" She screamed as one of the bandits found their target and a bullet hit her artificial leg.


End file.
